Guest editorial: Secession bids utter nonsense

Secession from the Union does not seem to be the big deal it was, say, in the 1860s.

Since Election Day -- and, one suspects, because of President Barack Obama's re-election -- more than 700,000 people from every state in the Union have signed petitions on a White House website seeking permission from the Obama administration for their states to secede from the country and create new governments.

More than 10,000 New Jerseyans have signed such a petition. Petitions in at least seven states have collected in excess of 25,000 signatures, meaning the Obama administration must formally respond by reviewing the requests.

The lack of seriousness with which most Americans take such post-election posturing is seen in ho-hum reactions peppered with such snarky remarks as "Here's your hat. What's your hurry?" And "Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

Commentators also have remarked on the fact that six of the seven states that garnered more than 25,000 signatures on their petitions receive far more back from the federal government than they pay in federal taxes. So much for independence.

The text for the New Jersey secession petition reads, in part, "We petition the Obama administration to: Peacefully grant the State of New Jersey to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government." It goes on to quote the Declaration of Independence.

Of course, the federal government has no authority to say "bon voyage" to any state wanting to leave, if indeed, any state sought to secede. These petitions have been circulated and signed by disgruntled individuals who, whether they know it or not, are engaged in nothing more than an act of political guerrilla theater.

Perhaps "sour grapes about the outcome of the election" is the better phrase.

And while the petitions do point out the continuing political divide in this country, it is worth noting that the vast majority of Americans find such secession talk silly. At best.

Have these petition-signing "revolutionaries" forgotten that one of the hallmarks of America is the peaceful transition of power through the voting booth? Does the phrase "loyal opposition" mean nothing to them? If you lose an election, you don't storm off and throw a tantrum. Rather, you pick yourself up, work with the winners where you can and plan for the next electoral challenge.

Besides, when the South seceded to ignite the Civil War, it took courage based on principles. Yes, the courage was hot-headed and reckless, and the principles of the Confederate States of America were vile in their insistence in upholding slavery.

It takes neither courage nor principle, on the other hand, to sign an online petition from the comfort of your living room. It takes, rather, the freedom provided by the very nation the petitioners now seek to leave -- freedom that makes secession so unnecessary.

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Guest editorial: Secession bids utter nonsense

Secession from the Union does not seem to be the big deal it was, say, in the 1860s.

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